Towel rack



Sept. 10, 1935. c. BRADWAY 2,013,907

TOWEL Mex Filed Sept. 26, 1953 g 75 1 j 70 Z J INVEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES orrice 3 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a towel rack of that type having a plurality of arms disposed one over the other on a common pivot; and the object of the invention is to provide a locking device to automatically lock the arms in either open or closed position by the simple movement of swinging the arms relatively open or closed.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side view of the towel rack with the locking means applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view with the arms closed;

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the arms open;

W Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive are respectively a plan, a side, bottom and front view of one of the locking means;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a plan View thereof; and

Fig. 10 is a plan View of another modification.

Referring to the drawing, l, 2, and 3 designate the arms of a triple towel rack, which are mounted on a pivot 4 carried by the lugs 5 of the supporting bracket 6. Two locking devices A are employed to yieldingly hold the arms of the towel rack in either open or closed position. Each locking device is a metal stamping comprising a plate I having an opening 8 through which the pivot 4 passes; and on the rear end of the plate are spaced lugs 9 and on the front spaced lugs l0 which span and firmly engage the middle or fixed arm 2 of the rack; and extending from the forward end of the plate is a U-shaped track or rail II which has its rear ends l2 fastened to the plate. This rail or track is yielding at all points. It has a central curved or arcuate portion l3 with which the relatively movable arm engages when the arms of the rack are in closed position; and the side portions M of the track are also curved or arcuate to form lateral seats with which the relatively movable arm of the rack engages when either thrown to the right or left of its central or closed position when engaged in the seat l3. Between the seats 13 and M are raised portions or humps l5, and at the ends of the lateral seats l4 are stops or lugs l6 which prevent the movable arms from opening too far. In Figure 1 it will be noted that one locking device A is oppositely disposed to the other one, so that the upper device co-operates with the upper arm I, and the lower device co-operates with the lower arm 3, whereby said arms are yieldingly held in open or closed position. When the arm I or 3 is moved to open position out of the seat l3, the track yields by the arm passing over the hump I5 to engage in the open arm-holding seat or portion [4. In this manner the mere opening or closing of the arms of the rack will automatically hold the said arms in either open or closed position. The lugs 9 and I0 prevent the plate I 5 of the locking device from pivoting under the rfriction of the rack arms on the yielding rail II.

In the modification shown in Figure 8, the central arm 2 has at opposite sides pivoted catches or buttons I1 and [8 which are swung upwardly or downwardly, respectively, after the arms I and 3 have been moved open, and thereby prevent them from being accidentally closed.

In the modification shown in Figure 10, the rack is of that type made of wire arms l 2 and 3 mounted on a common pivot 4 In this case a single locking device A suflices to hold the arms in either position, the said device comprising a metal stamping having one half a bent downwardly, and the upper half a bent upwardly, and in those portions are seats 20 and 2|, respectively, with which the arms I? and 3 respectively engage when in open position. In this form the arms automatically lock in open position by the simple opening movement of such 25 arms, as is the case with the construction shown in Figure 1.

A common objection to racks of the type disclosed as now in use, is that in use the arms gradually work from an open position to a closed po- 30 sition so that the rack has only a towel-carrying capacity of one towel instead of three towels, as is intended.

What I claim is:--

l. A towel rack comprising a pair of arms, a pivot on which the arms are mounted to swing,

a support for the pivot and forming means for limiting the arms solely to a swinging movement and means on the pivot and fixed on one arm and having a yieldable part adapted to be engaged by the other arm tohold the arms in relative open position.

2. In a. towel rack, arms movable to open fixed position or closed position, and means auto-- matically operative at all times for holding the arms in such open position comprising a spring catch arranged to be automatically engaged or disengaged by one of the arms in moving to and from open position.

3. In a towel rack, a pair of pivoted arms, a spring catch formed with lugs engaging one arm to hold the catch in place on the latter and formed with yielding portions to hold the other arm in either closed or open position.

4.. In a towel rack, a pivot, a pair of arms thereon, and a spring catch having a fixed engagement with one arm and held in place thereon by the pivot and provided with a yielding portion engageable by the other arm to hold the latter open.

5. In a towel rack, an arm, a second arm, a pivot passing through the arms, and aflocking device for holding the arms open, said device consisting of yielding catch means fixed with respect to the first arm and at opposite sides thereof to engage the second arm when swung to either side of the first arm.

6. In a towel rack, a pair of arms, a pivot passing through the arms, and a yielding catch device for holding the arms in relatively open position, said device comprising a plate havingan opening through which the pivot passes, means on the plate at opposite sides of the pivot to engage one of the arms for holding the device of thearm having the plate.

8-. In a towel rack,'a pair of relatively movable arms, and a-device fixed on one of the arms and having "yielding means for holding the arms one over the other and also yielding means for holding the arms inrelatively open position;

9; In a towel rack, a relatively fixed arm and a relatively. movable arm, a'pivot on which the arms are mounted, and a device for .yieldingly holding thearms in either closed or open position, said device comprising a plate having an opening through which the pivot passes, means on the platefor holdingthe same stationary on the fixed arm, and a U-shaped member attached to the plate and extending outwardly from one end thereof, said member comprising a curved central portion with which the movable arm engages to hold the arms in closed position and lateral curved portions with either of which the movable arm is engageable to hold the arms in open position.

10. A catch device of the class described comprising a plate having a pivot-receiving aperture, 10 holding lugs on the plate, and a yielding U- shaped member attached to and extending from one end of the plate and having a central curved portion and lateral curved portions.

11. A catch device of the class described com- 5 prising a plate, holding lugs on the plate, and a U -shaped member on the plate having a central seat portion and lateral seat portions, humps between the central and lateral portions, and stop means at the outer ends of the lateral portions..

12. In a towel rack, an arm of round cross section, a plate, a pivot passing through the plate and arm, means on the plate for engaging the arm and preventing the plate from turning on the pivot independently of the arm, a second arm on the pivot. at the side of the plate opposite the first arm, and a yielding stop means carried by the plate and with which the second arm engages to hold the latter in open position with respect to'the first arm.

13. A towel rack comprising a plurality of arms adapted to swing in parallel planes, means on which the arms are mounted and limited to solely a-swinging movement on a common axis, and yielding means located between the planes in which the arms move and having a portion disposed outwardly from the axis on which the arms swing and automatically operativeat all times to holdythe arms in either open orclosed position. 40

CHATTIN BRADWAY. 

